New Is the New New

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Now that the stars of High School Musical have fulfilled their commitment to the Disney franchise (they'll do cameos at best in HSM4), most of them, I presume, are looking to reinvent themselves. After all, you can only be hero-worshiped by 13-year-old girls for so many years before it starts to get...well...creepy.

We all now know that Zac Efron will be getting Footlooseand fancy-free (not flying too far from the nest, I suppose), but did you know that Lucas Grabeel, who plays the thinly coded gay one in HSM, will be playing an overtly decoded gay one in Gus Van Sant's Milk? (Not flying too far from the nest either, I suppose.)

I think it's a bold step forward for Grabeel, but I do wonder about the necessity of what he decided he had to post on his official website, as a sort of explanation to his tween fans:

I know that a lot of you will not understand (until you're older) that in the film industry, as an actor, you play roles. What that means is you completely embody another person and become someone you are not. I'm NOT Ryan Evans. I'm NOT Kelly Kuzio from Veronica Mars, I'm NOT Lex Luthor... I'm Lucas. But when I go to WORK (just like your parents go to work everyday) I assume the character of whom I'm playing and create a story for people to enjoy. In the movie Milk, I PLAY a homosexual... that doesn't mean that I am gay. Sean Penn, one of the greatest actors of our generation is playing Harvey Milk, a gay character... but He is married to Robin Wright-Penn.(Princess Bride... if you haven't seen that movie see it!!!) Most people in this movie are straight men playing gay men.... Emile Hersch, James Franco, and Diego Luna are just a few....

The lady doth protest too much? I'm not sure.

...Anyway, it is in the spirit of reinvention that I present to you Bamboo Nation's totally new and awesome design! (Those of you reading this in an RSS reader or by e-mail must go to the main site immediately to see how fabulous it is.)